# The world is going to end anyway, so why care about the environment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 11, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181 "2018-09-11T19:25:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/41 "2018-09-13T19:16:23Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > 11% of Americans think that global warming does not matter because the end times are coming. This is less than the percentage of people who [believe](https://www.publicpolicypolling.com/polls/democrats-and-republicans-differ-on-conspiracy-theory-beliefs/)in bigfoot 15% […] But what you’re overlooking here is that belief in this sort of theological anti-environmentalism is much more widespread **among evangelicals/fundamentalists themselves** than among Americans in general. As you could have seen from the additional information in my linked cite: > [@](#): > > One in seven Americans think it is definitely (7%) or probably (9%) true that “God controls the climate, therefore people can’t be causing global warming.” […] **Evangelical and Born-Again Christians (30%)** […] > > Global warming is interpreted as a sign of the end times by one in seven Americans, with 4 percent saying this is definitely so, and another 10 percent that it is probably so. […] **Evangelical and Born-Again Christians (24%)** […] > > Just over one in ten (11%) think the end times are coming, therefore we don’t need to worry about global warming. […] **Evangelicals and Born-Again Christians (26%)** […] > > Close to one in ten Americans (9%) think the apocalypse will happen within their lifetime. […] **Evangelical and Born-Again Christians (19%)** […] Emphasis added. > [@puddleglum](#): > > The point is not that there are no evangelicals that believe it, but that it is a fringe belief and nobody with actual power believes it. Although you may be right that few or no people “with actual power” **genuinely** believe Christian theological anti-environmentalist doctrines, [research indicates](https://splinternews.com/how-fossil-fuel-money-made-climate-denial-the-word-of-g-1797466298) that many conservative political figures feel it’s important to their careers to **pretend** to believe them: > [@](#): > > How Fossil Fuel Money Made Climate Change Denial the Word of God > > […] Conservative groups, funded by fossil fuel magnates, spend approximately one billion dollars every year interfering with public understanding of what is actually happening to our world. […] In terms of impact, however, few investments can rival the return that the conservative donor class has gotten from the small cohort of evangelical theologians and scholars whose work has provided scriptural justifications for apocalyptic geopolitics and economic rapaciousness. […] > > The pull of fossil-fuel interests and the religious right is so strong that even conservative politicians who privately believe climate change is caused by humans have kept that view secret. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, has said that he knows of at least a dozen Republicans in the Senate who accept climate science and want to take action, but feel they can’t do so for fear of the political repercussions—despite the fact that recent polling shows a majority of Republican voters believe that the United States “should play a leading role” on climate action. Half a dozen politically connected evangelical Christians who are active on Capitol Hill backed up Whitehouse’s claim to Splinter, saying they have either first- or second-hand experience with politicians who admit in private that they accept climate science even as they oppose regulations and reforms in public. Note that these forms of theological anti-environmentalism are more along the lines of _“God’s got it all under control so it’s arrogant for humans to try to meddle”_ than _“The end is nigh so the environment’s irrelevant”_, though. > [@puddleglum](#): > > Thus it is a convenient strawman to use so the actual arguments don’t have to be dealt with. I repeat, from post #24: > [@Kimstu](#): > > And what are “the actual arguments” on the subject that you claim liberals need “counters” to? ISTM that both Christian and non-Christian environmentalists are pretty much in agreement on the importance of environmental policy for solid empirical reasons. There are no valid “arguments” against it that they need to refute. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/42 "2018-09-13T21:07:13Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > If one believes that, then why live as an individual? You’re going to die anyway, so just lie around and starve to death now and get it over with. Well what fun is there in starving yourself? Live it up! Be a fucking glutton! Dont worry about those hardening arteries or them diabeetus. Healthy? The only “healthy” thing to worry about is having a healthy appetite to indulge. If you’re gonna die anyway, why not die having a heart attack while sucking down a giant-sized ice-cream float topped with fudge! God would want that for you. Its called the Indulgence Gospel. If your selfish indulgences result in your death, that just means God has blessed you and you are on your way to heaven! ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/43 "2018-09-14T03:19:12Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > “My responsibility is to follow the Scriptures which call upon us to occupy the land until Jesus returns.” > [http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/author/james-g-watt/192101](http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/author/james-g-watt/192101) That quote has no apparent relationship with the viewpoint that the OP describes. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/44 "2018-09-14T12:30:45Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I’m not quite that old, but I think that most people eventually realize that “End Times” does not automatically equal “the world is going to end any day now.” Yes, it theoretically could–but it probably won’t. Well yeah, but there sure seem to be a lot of conservative Christians who think the Rapture and all aren’t all that far off, on the scale of a human lifetime, and that the Rapture _could_ come tomorrow AFATK. And if evangelical preachers in their 50s and 60s and older are throwing cold water on this notion, I sure never hear about it. > [@](#): > > Strictly speaking, the End Times began on the Day of Pentecost – see Peter’s quotation from Joel. The “end of the End Times” began when modern-day Israel became a nation. > > In addition, when God says that something is going to happen “soon” – that’s soon from God’s point of view, not necessarily from man’s point of view. It’s basically the same type of thing as the difference between “time” as we normally think of it, and “geologic time.” Again, sure, but _that isn’t what we’re talking about_. We’re talking about people who believe the Rapture is probably no more than a decade or two off, and could even happen tomorrow. And yeah, when they tell me the Bible says it’s happening ‘soon,’ I enjoy pointing out the fact that ‘soon’ is a pretty loose term, given the vintage of the source. But _they_ still mean it’s happening ‘soon’ on a human scale, not a divine one. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/45 "2018-09-14T17:02:20Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Well what fun is there in starving yourself? Live it up! Be a fucking glutton! Dont worry about those hardening arteries or them diabeetus. Healthy? The only “healthy” thing to worry about is having a healthy appetite to indulge. If you’re gonna die anyway, why not die having a heart attack while sucking down a giant-sized ice-cream float topped with fudge! God would want that for you. Its called the Indulgence Gospel. If > your selfish indulgences result in your death, that just means God has blessed you and you are on your way to heaven! Which actually parallels the real-world implications of an apocalyptic worldview. If the End is coming, let’s use everything up! ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/46 "2018-09-15T17:34:35Z")
You know, for anyone with a relatively short period of time left to live (a decade or 2 at most), for them the entire universe is ending. Everything they know could be destroyed a second after they die and they won’t know the difference. This, by the way, is an argument in favor of developing a method of real life extension : if there’s a decent chance you personally will be around in the year 3000, you have a lot more incentive to both care about the distance future and a lot more to gain if you make decisions that increase your chances of living that long. Most conservatives tend to be older. For them, it literally doesn’t matter that the climate is getting worse, they will be dead long before it gets really bad. Well, probably, if these hurricanes are due to climate change this is a much earlier and more severe problem than sea level rise. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/47 "2018-09-15T18:33:06Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Ooh, look what I found in another corner of the internet: [actual statistics](http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/global-warming-god-end-times/). Left over from March 2016, but probably still good. > > However, it is very interesting if a subset of conservative and/or evangelical Christianity is now adopting a more bellicose attitude of repudiating this theological anti-environmentalism. _“Of **course** Christians don’t think the environment doesn’t matter because the end of the world is nigh, that’s just an anti-Christian canard!”_ So, that 10% of Americans of which 26% are evangelicals. So about 2% of evangelicals believe this. Jeez, 2% of any group believes in _anything._ And of course _the Pope_ coming out and clearly and openly stating that GW happens are we are mostly at fault- but somehow the fact we still have GW is the fault of the Christians? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/48 "2018-09-15T18:35:16Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > But what you’re overlooking here is that belief in this sort of theological anti-environmentalism is much more widespread **among evangelicals/fundamentalists themselves** than among Americans in general. Widespread? :dubious: 2% is not widespread. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/49 "2018-09-15T18:58:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Widespread? :dubious: 2% is not widespread. As **Kimstu** clarified too: “Note that these forms of theological anti-environmentalism are more along the lines of “God’s got it all under control so it’s arrogant for humans to try to meddle” than “The end is nigh so the environment’s irrelevant”, though.” On that note, if 2% is what they are, then one wonders why more than 2% does get elected into office. And that number increases when one does take into account that more than 2% in power are **pandering** to people of faith that are being misled by powerful interests. > **[Meet the Republicans in Congress who don't believe climate change is real](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/17/climate-change-denial-scepticism-republicans-congress)** > > On Tuesday, the Senate will vote to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. With Republicans now in control of both chambers in Congress, here’s a round-up of some of the most prominent climate sceptics (and deniers) in the GOP > [@](#): > > “As we enter a new Congress, I will do everything in my power to rein in and shed light on the EPA’s unchecked regulations.” > > Inhofe has called climate change the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” has said God, not humans, controls the weather, and has denied climate change in many other ways. > [@](#): > > “I’m not a scientist. I am interested in protecting Kentucky’s economy, I’m interested in having low cost electricity,” [Mitch McConnell] said. > **[Congressman says God will save us from climate change](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/8123790/Congressman-says-God-will-save-us-from-climate-change.html)** > > A Republican congressman who believes that global warming is not a threat because God has promised not to destroy the Earth has put himself forward as chairman of a powerful committee that deals with energy policy and its effect on the environment. > [@](#): > > John Shimkus, an evangelical Christian representing Illinois, quoted the Bible in a congressional hearing last year on a proposed “cap and trade” legislation designed to limit carbon emissions. > > Reading from God’s post-Flood promise to Noah in Genesis 8:21, he said: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though all inclinations of his heart are evil from childhood and never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.” > > Mr Shimkus added: "I believe that’s the infallible word of God, and that’s the way it’s going to be for his creation. > > “The Earth will end only when God declares it’s time to be over. Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a Flood. I do believe that God’s word is infallible, unchanging, perfect.” > > He spoke before a theologian and leaders of the Lutheran church who had been invited to testify as witnesses. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives but has been blocked in the Senate. > **[Why White Evangelicals Don't Care About Climate Change - CleanTechnica](https://cleantechnica.com/2018/04/05/why-white-evangelicals-dont-care-about-climate-change/)** > > More than 80% of white evangelicals support the anti-science policies of Donald Trump. Why? Millions of dollars of Koch Brothers money is one possible answer. > [@](#): > > Last May, Congressman Tim Walberg told his constituents that, while the climate may be changing, they don’t need to be concerned. “As a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us, and I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, He can take care of it.” And Shazam! There you have it. No need to worry about climate change because God holds the world in the palm of his hand and there’s no way He will allow any harm to come to the world He created. So sit back, rape and pillage the Earth to your heart’s content. God’s got your back. > [@](#): > > Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island tells Splinter he knows of at least a dozen Republicans in the Senate who accept climate science and want to take action, but feel they can’t do so for fear of the political reprisals. And they have reason to fear for their political lives. Bob Inglis was a Congressman from South Carolina who dared buck the Tea Party movement — another Koch Brothers funded campaign designed to consolidate their hold on Congress. The Tea Party found a patsy who was willing to shut up and toe the party line to oppose Inglis in a primary. > > Outspent by a wide margin by his opponent, Inglis lost the primary and his seat. The lesson has not been lost on other members of Congress: Do as we say or we will punish you. Where once we had political leaders who wrote books like Profiles In Courage, America’s political leaders are now marked by their profiles in cowardice. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/50 "2018-09-15T20:31:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, that 10% of Americans of which 26% are evangelicals. So about 2% of evangelicals believe this. > > Jeez, 2% of any group believes in _anything._ > > And of course _the Pope_ coming out and clearly and openly stating that GW happens are we are mostly at fault- but somehow the fact we still have GW is the fault of the Christians? It’'s hard to tell what you mean by “this”, but you seem to be assuming that religious beliefs are randomly distributed between evangelicals and non-evangelicals. That is not true, and become even more significant when those beliefs are more extreme (like the end is near). We can be guaranteed that non-religious Americans don’t attribute anything at all to God, and are not part of that 10%. If, for example, 5% of that 10% are evangelicals, that would mean that about 20% of evangelicals believe “this”. Again, whatever “this” is. At any rate, we can be guaranteed that the number is \> 2%. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/51 "2018-09-16T07:25:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, that 10% of Americans of which 26% are evangelicals. So about 2% of evangelicals believe this. > > Jeez, 2% of any group believes in _anything._ I don’t claim to have the math/statistics chops to articulate why, but I’m pretty sure that multiplying those particular percentages smells of shenanigans. Surely there are some demographics who are simply ineligible for inclusion in the group of Americans who hold that Divine Promises make enviromental considerations a nothingburger. Personally, I’m inclined to suppose that of that 10% who espouse those beliefs, virtually ALL of them are some flavor of evangelical. So, closer to 40% of evangelicals than 2%. I would welcome instruction that shows why I’m mistaken on this point. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/52 "2018-09-16T21:35:59Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I don’t claim to have the math/statistics chops to articulate why, but I’m pretty sure that multiplying those particular percentages smells of shenanigans. Surely there are some demographics who are simply ineligible for inclusion in the group of Americans who hold that Divine Promises make enviromental considerations a nothingburger. > > Personally, I’m inclined to suppose that of that 10% who espouse those beliefs, virtually ALL of them are some flavor of evangelical. > > So, closer to 40% of evangelicals than 2%. > > I would welcome instruction that shows why I’m mistaken on this point. Because if we accept the cite, we accept the numbers. Personally i dont care for how they gathered their numbers, but: \*Groups that are more likely to believe “the end times are coming, therefore we don’t need to worry about global warming” include: Evangelicals and Born-Again Christians (26%) \* ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/53 "2018-09-17T00:48:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, that 10% of Americans of which 26% are evangelicals. So about 2% of evangelicals believe this. > > Jeez, 2% of any group believes in _anything._ :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Would anybody who is still suffering from this or similar confusion about the math kindly reread post #41. It would be idiotic enough to try to argue that only, say, 10% of evangelicals/fundamentalists believe some particular view on the mistaken assumption (as **John Mace** noted) that the prevalence of such views is no different among evangelicals/fundamentalists than among Americans overall. Obviously (and if it’s not obvious to you, check the quoted evidence in post #41 again), conservative Christian religious beliefs are going to be **more** prevalent among conservative Christians than among the general population. But **DrDeth** ’s completely ballsed-up approach to the numbers is even more ludicrous than that. He’s trying to argue that if, say, **10% of all Americans hold a particular view** , and if, say, **evangelicals/fundamentalists are about 26% of all Americans** , then **only 10% of that 26%, i.e., about 2.6% _of those evangelicals/fundamentalists_** , will hold that view. In other words, he has inadvertently faffed up the statistics to suggest that these **characteristically evangelical/fundamentalist beliefs** are far **less** prevalent among evangelicals/fundamentalists than among the general population of Americans. Does that make sense to you? A simple analogy for **DrDeth** and anybody else who’s really struggling with this: If you have a beer after work on an average of 50% (i.e. half) of the weekdays Monday through Friday… and if Wednesdays make up 20% (i.e., one-fifth) of those weekdays… does that mean that on average you have a beer on only one-fifth of one-half (i.e., one-tenth) of Wednesdays? If you think that it might, try substituting any other weekday for Wednesday in the calculation and you’ll get the same number. And you will find that although it was originally stipulated that you have a beer after work on an average of **half** of the occurrences of all the five weekdays, by your calculations you end up having a beer on only **one-tenth** of the occurrences of **any given** weekday. How the hell are you going to explain that in a mathematically consistent way, Dr. Einstein? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/54 "2018-09-17T01:19:21Z")
Thanks, **Kimstu**. I guess “shenanigans” _IS_ the word I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/55 "2018-09-17T01:45:44Z")
I’m willing to attribute it to just a massive brain fart, but it is mathematically indefensible even if humanly excusable. To recap the pertinent statistics I quoted from the linked study: 30% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that “God controls the climate, therefore people can’t be causing global warming.” 24% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that global warming is a sign of the end times. 26% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that the end times are coming, therefore we don’t need to worry about global warming. 19% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that the apocalypse will happen within their lifetime. So these theology-based anti-environmentalist views are held by anywhere from nearly one-fifth to nearly one-third of evangelical/born-again Christians, significantly higher than the corresponding percentages for Americans as a whole. As you plausibly inferred, it’s the comparatively high incidence of these beliefs among these Christians that’s making the biggest contribution to their prevalence in the general population. (For comparison, according to the linked study the corresponding percentages of atheists/agnostics who hold these same four beliefs are 1%, 4%, 2%, and 1%. respectively.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/56 "2018-09-17T01:57:18Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: > But **DrDeth** ’s completely ballsed-up approach to the numbers is even more ludicrous than that. He’s trying to argue that if, say, **10% of all Americans hold a particular view** , and if, say, **evangelicals/fundamentalists are about 26% of all Americans** , then **only 10% of that 26%, i.e., about 2.6% _of those evangelicals/fundamentalists_** , will hold that view. I hope you didnt hurt yourself with all that eyerolling. My reading of the cite was that of those 10% of Americans saying they hold that view, 26% were Evangelicals. Only 10% of Americans hold that view. Of that 10%, 26% are Evangelicals (or identify as such, of course, maybe none are or all are and they are lying, who knows?) thus, 26% of 10% = 2.6% . Not that 26% of Americans were Evangelicals, i have no freaken clue where you got that idea, maybe all that eye rolling made you read it that way. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/57 "2018-09-17T02:06:46Z")
Let us look at the math this way: 1000 people. 10% of them believe in that view. That leaves 100. of that 100, 26 are evangelicals. of the original 1000 how many are evangelicals how hold that believe? 1. what % is 26 of 1000? 2.6.\* 2.6% of Americans are Evangelicals who hold that belief. That’s a tiny %, so small as to be insignificant. 2% of American believe ANYthing. \*sue me, I rounded. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/58 "2018-09-17T02:10:03Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I’m willing to attribute it to just a massive brain fart, but it is mathematically indefensible even if humanly excusable. > > To recap the pertinent statistics I quoted from the linked study: > > 30% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that “God controls the climate, therefore people can’t be causing global warming.” > > 24% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that global warming is a sign of the end times. > > 26% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that the end times are coming, therefore we don’t need to worry about global warming. > > 19% of evangelical and born-again Christians think it is definitely or probably true that the apocalypse will happen within their lifetime. No, no, no, and no. You cant get that from that poll. That poll didnt poll evangelicals. You have no idea of what % of evangelicals hold those beliefs. You know what % of Americans who were polled hold those beliefs, and \*of those \*what % identify as evangelicals, but you can’t draw the conclusion you made. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/59 "2018-09-17T02:15:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I hope you didnt hurt yourself with all that eyerolling. Nah, not with all the practice I get around here. > [@DrDeth](#): > > My reading of the cite was that of those 10% of Americans saying they hold that view, 26% were Evangelicals. > > Only 10% of Americans hold that view. Of that 10%, 26% are Evangelicals (or identify as such, of course, maybe none are or all are and they are lying, who knows?) thus, 26% of 10% = 2.6% . Even if that were a correct interpretation (and it’s pretty clear from my [linked cite](http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/global-warming-god-end-times/) that it’s not), your math is still completely borked. Let’s step through it slowly. If 10% of Americans hold View A, and if 26% of that 10% identify as Evangelicals, then that implies that **2.6% of _all_ Americans are Evangelicals who hold that view**. **Not** that only 2.6% **of all American Evangelicals** hold that view, which is what you claimed: > [@DrDeth](#): > > So about 2% of evangelicals believe this. Look at it more carefully with the missing stat (percentage of Evangelicals among Americans overall) filled in. If about [one-quarter of Americans are Evangelicals](https://religionnews.com/2017/09/06/embargoed-christian-america-dwindling-including-white-evangelicals-study-shows/)… then if 10% of all Americans hold View A… and 26% of that 10% are Evangelicals, as you mistakenly inferred… then 2.6% of all Americans would be Evangelicals holding View A… which would leave about 22.4% of all Americans being Evangelicals who do **not** hold View A… implying that the percentage of Evangelicals who **do** hold View A would be not 2.6% but nearly 12%. So even if your assumptions were correct, which I contest, your conclusion would still be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181/60 "2018-09-17T02:18:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Let us look at the math this way: > > 1000 people. > > 10% of them believe in that view. That leaves 100. > > of that 100, 26 are evangelicals. > > of the original 1000 > how many are evangelicals how hold that believe? > > 1. > > what % is 26 of 1000? 2.6.\* > > 2.6% of Americans are Evangelicals who hold that belief. That’s a tiny %, so small as to be insignificant. 2% of American believe ANYthing. > > \*sue me, I rounded. But again, you are mistakenly using that number as equivalent to the percentage **of Evangelicals** who hold that belief. Your calculation is meaningless without knowing how many Evangelicals do **not** hold that belief. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-anyway-so-why-care-about-the-environment/821181.md?page=4)